WHO ARE YOU TO JUDGE???

It’s interestingly amazing how we see the things people do, but most often never bother to ask why...

We seem to know people so much and so well, even the ones we never met and that has made us self-righteous and all-knowing and very judgemental...

·   On your way to church on a Sunday morning, you see a group of young men playing football on a field; and after church, you see some men and women at a bar having that ‘Sunday special’....

You don’t ask, but you conclude by making yourself look ‘obedient’ and righteous in your own eyes. You never bother to ask and be told that: they are Adventists or Moslems or Witnesses who have had their Sabbath or field work ahead of yours.

·         You see a 13year old girl with a baby on her back and carrying the weightiest load on her head.

You conclude that the ‘youth of today’ have low moral standards; you beat your chest out of pride and say, “how righteous, pure, holy and morally upright I am; I never thought of babies at 13”. You never bother to find out that: she was raped and the baby was the scar of that rape though a gift OR that the baby is her sibling- she’s only helping her mother to take care of the baby OR they both lost their mother whilst she was having the baby and their father lost his job and his mind as a result or is probably nowhere to be found OR that the baby is her older sister or brother’s child.

·         You are in church and it’s time to sing a hymn, the young person seated beside you starts scrolling/ thumbing up and down on their iPad/ tablet/ phone/ palm top.

You never bother your sense of curiosity to find out that: they hymnal they chose and could afford is the one they are thumbing through and that is what they are gadgets are for.

·         In church, everyone stands to make a contribution to the ongoing discussion; but he sits to make his point and you conclude that he is disrespectful and plain pompous...

You are so so ashamed when you find out during collection time that: he has one leg amputated and walks by the help of his clutches.

·         You are on your way to work or school, and you see a young man/ woman tottering and swaying left and right as they move on and then suddenly, they fall down. As better than them as you are, you say to yourself: “look at this aimless person, drank at this hour of the day...”

You never bother to get close enough to find out that, (s)he is on her way to the hospital but has no one to take him/ her OR (s)he has just left the hospital but had spent all they had on the prescribed medication and couldn’t afford food or water to take the drug right away OR that the person has not eaten for days...

·         You are too busy to listen to that young person who is so weighed down by their tears and just can’t spare time to listen to another lazy-miserable person whose life didn’t turn out right and has too much time on their hands to spare feeling sorry for themselves...

You didn’t even have the heart to listen or even to obey that still small voice telling you that: the miserable young lad or lass whose life (in your eyes) didn’t turn out right is the very one whose parents made sacrifices for your parents to get you where you are OR that: that is the one soul you should have encouraged and helped get into heaven.

·         You know someone who is always laughing and makes jokes out of everything you regard as serious and always finds something to laugh about... You just shake your head at them and decide that they are not people you should mingle with because they are not serious and don’t have any worries and would definitely not have anything sensible to share with or tell you... 

You never bother to even get close to find out that the weight on that persons heart and shoulder is much more you even imagined or bothered to think about and you never even opened your eyes and mind and heart to learn from them that: no matter how heavy or ugly your problems look, life is beautiful and that once you profess to trust God, He always gives you something to smile and even laugh about and you tend to have a brighter outlook on life regardless of how heavy your burdens...

·       You see a man or woman whom everyone ( including yourself) knows is rich and so you stay away thinking this person has it all and doesn’t need any more or has no problem and that God has been so fair to him/ her but not you.

Maybe you should get close enough to know that they also need true friends in their lives and though they look like they have it all, there may be something that they need and only you can give- yes, you!

The instances go on and on and on...

We are too busy judging people...

We judge people (un)knowingly, (un)consciously; the Good Book in all its wisdom and authority says: “Do not judge, that you may not be judged...” (Matt. 7:1) and we think that that judgement will come years after; that judgement comes the instant we judge another.

If it never occurred to you, then today it will hit you (or slap you right in the face) and you with all due respect are finding out that:

The instant the index finger stands accusingly judging another, the thumb, middle, ring and little fingers also lie down in all comfort accusing you and reminding you that:

“No matter how holy, righteous or ungodly you think you are, you are no better or worse than the person you accuse or praise...”

Get closer and stop judging!!!

For once, consciously STOP judging people and see how beautiful life would be...

By: Owusuaa. 

He calls....Are you listening?

 Great crowds were traveling with Jesus, and he turned and addressed them… (Luke 14:25)

Try to imagine yourself among the people following along behind Jesus. Questions are swirling around you; some are laughing, and some are crying, as the crunch of feet on the ground grows. Suddenly Jesus stops, turns around, and looks right at you. Did I do something? Jesus begins to speak, and it is as if everyone else disappears.

Luke’s little detail about Jesus stopping, turning, and speaking seems deliberate. He wanted to emphasize Jesus’ desire to get the people’s full attention as he spoke words crucial to their faith. This was not a time for idle chatter or casual conversation. It was a time to let every word soak in. And for those who did pay close attention, the words changed their lives.

Every day, Jesus, the Son of the living God, wants to speak to you! He wants to take your face in his hands and say, “Look at me. Listen closely. This is important. I want you to receive it.” He asks you to set aside your own thoughts, ideas, and plans, and try your best to imagine looking into his eyes. This is a holy moment, when he can move your heart and form your mind. It’s a sacred time, when he can give you the grace you need to love him and follow him. It’s a golden opportunity for him to chip away at the hard outer layer of your heart so that he can find new ways to teach you and love you.

Day in and day out, we are surrounded by distractions—both interior and exterior. There is so much “chatter” trying to pull us away from Jesus and from one another. How encouraging, then, to know that we have a Redeemer who will never stop trying to get our attention! Day after day, he wants to turn to us, look us in the eye, and tell us about his love, his will, and his salvation. So don’t let the chatter drown him out! 

“Jesus, thank you for calling my name and speaking to my heart. Open my ears to hear you above all the noise in my day.”

Taken from wau.org.

Large vs Strong ego

The one who humbles himself will be exalted. (Luke 18:14)

Self-confidence is a virtue in business, in our families, and in our parishes. Think about St. Paul. He was very confident in his abilities. He was a fearless evangelist. He established churches everywhere he went. He taught, wrote, and performed miracles. Without self-confidence, Paul would not have been able to accomplish all that he did. A modern-day psychologist might describe Paul as having a “strong ego.”
But that’s a lot different from a person who has a “large ego.”

People with strong egos have let life’s ups and downs reveal their strengths and weaknesses—and they have learned how to use their strengths in a productive way. Paul was bold and pushy. He liked to get his way. He made a lot of mistakes. But he learned from them. He let them teach him humility. He even spoke about how proud and self-centered he was before he met the Lord (Philippians 3:3-10).

By contrast, people with large egos are self-centered. They are always looking for adulation and recognition. They elevate themselves over others and look down on the people they consider inferior to themselves. The Pharisee in today’s parable had a large ego. He lived a moral life. He fasted, and he gave money to the poor. But he let his goodness go to his head, as he looked down on the repentant tax collector. His ego was so large that he didn’t have room for anyone else—not even the Lord—in his life.

God wants us to be confident. He wants us to develop the gifts that he has given to us to their fullest potential so that we can push forward and build the kingdom. But we have to watch out for the trap of pride. Being confident is a good thing. But we always have to be sure that our confidence is grounded in humility, not self-glory. That’s the secret to having a strong ego, not a large one.

“Lord, teach me true humility and strength of character.”

Taken from www.wau.org

The Worship Closet- Oceans

I heard this song and I believe its apt I share it with you. Please follow the lyrics and I can guarantee that you will be blessed.

Darkest Day

I returned from a soothing retreat this weekend, and a colleague shared a beautiful poem he wrote, with us. Enjoy;

In the darkest night as the deepness fades,
Light could be seen burning away,Like the truth from a lie.Forsaken taken a-back,stripped of all fact,Life was passing him by.

 He just wanted to stay,
Stop time and waste away,In that the darkest day,Six feet down in a grave.
He would end up that way,Over and over it'd play,He would hear these words,
And would have nothing to say.

 Escaping intoxication,Forbearing false medication,
It had spread from his lungs,Heading to a destination,That's blinded by the extremes,
Stretched out and placed on the seams, 

Where forgotten are dreams,He would continue to be,
Beaten and under attack,Waiting for the relapse,Oh, how time dragged on.
One thing which he has learned,Is that slowly he had turned,And forgotten where to belong.

By Charles Klein (Newman Campus Ministry)

THE CHURCH?

I received this piece from a friend yesterday and just wanted to share it with you:

I felt so broken and alone, the burden on my heart felt like it was on my back; its weight broke my back, I couldn’t even stand straight. I couldn’t see the sun, it added to my burdens; death was all I could think about. Life was meaningless and there was nowhere to go, no one to turn to and I would sleep an endless sleep than wake up to hear the birds singing the dirges that would be sang when I am finally laid to rest.

The blue skies mocked me and they made want to scream, they smiled when all I could do was weep, tears were the food of my soul. No one even smiled, the whole world was in a rush and I was at a standstill.

I heard my mother’s voice, so soft and tender and her touch so gentle; she had come only to remind me that I would find solace, peace and someone to listen to me if I go to the church. I remembered the Apostle Paul saying that the Church is the Body of Christ; I had heard so much about Christ, I even saw the great things He did and how He turned the ugly into the beautiful. The Body of Christ- His eyes, ears, lips, tongue, hands, feet and most of all His heart. The Church would be the right place to find solace.

I had done so much wrong; I needed a place to offload this over-weighted burden. I went to the Church...

Why did everyone look at me so strangely? Did my sin show on my face? At last! Someone to talk to before the service started. It felt so good to have someone listen and tell you about the love of God and the salvation Christ brings.

Why is everyone walking away when I try to get close? Why is the gentleman who spoke to me before the service hiding from me? Why do I still feel lonely and left out like I did before I came in? Why are they staring at me with their noses turned up and their eyes so full of condemnation? Why do I feel worse than I did before service? Why are they judging me?

Doesn’t the Good Book say that Jesus came for the broken? Didn’t Jesus say that those who are well do not need a doctor? Why do I feel like the medication given me is making me worse off than before?

The Good Book says God’s heart is full of compassion; the Church is God’s heart isn’t it? Why is it so cold? The Church is God’s hand, why is it so short in reaching out to a sick person like me? Why aren’t these hands wrapping me up and warming me up? Why isn’t it taking the burden off my back? But Jesus said I should come to Him with my burden and He will give me rest; why then do I feel like I have to carry my burden along with the judgement and condemnation it comes with? The Church is God’s feet, why isn’t it walking to me with the love and forgiveness I so seek?

If indeed the Church is the Body of Christ, why didn’t I find solace like my mother told me? Why didn’t I find the consolation and forgiveness I so sought?

Was I better off coming to the Church? Why do I have to be relegated to the back for doing the wrong I didn’t really want to do? Why excommunication when I could have been given mercy?

Is the Church really the Body of Christ? Is that how Christ would have treated me? If He is the doctor for the fit, perfectly holy and sanctimonious person, then what about people like me who are sick, dying and perishing and being lost every day? Where do we stand in this world?

Are all those holy people in the Church really holy? Aren’t they covering up their dark deeds by their bright and holy faces and sanctimoniously pious actions? Are they worse than I or I worse than them?

If I can’t find solace, peace and a haven from my burdens in the Church, where would I find it?

credit: Benita

Victory over fear

Did you know that fear is a gift from God? It helps us protect ourselves and our loved ones when danger arises. The problem is that our inner gift of fear can become too powerful and cause us to exaggerate the external threats that have given rise to fear in the first place. How many times has a fearful situation caused your mind to race uncontrollably? When we exaggerate the actual cause of fear in our minds, we risk losing our peace, compromising our sense of judgment, and, in some extreme cases, even becoming sick. 

In today’s first reading, we see St. Paul urging Timothy to overcome his fears as he leads the Church at Ephesus. Can this be true? Is this the same Timothy whom Paul sent to build the church at Ephesus in the first place (1 Timothy 1:3)? Is this the Timothy whom Paul sent to Thessalonica to strengthen the Church during a time of persecution? (1 Thessalonians 1:3)? Didn’t Paul say that no one was comparable to Timothy (Philippians 2:20)? Whatever challenge Timothy was facing, it must have been significant.

Most of us become fearful when a significant hardship comes our way. That is a blessing. But we cannot allow these fears to control us. Instead, let’s remind ourselves that God is with us, and he is for us. Let’s believe that nothing stands against us (Romans 8:31). And let’s never forget that we can do all things in Christ who gives us strength (Philippians 4:13).

When we place our faith in Scripture passages like these, grace and power are stirred up in us. So pray the prayer below each day to overcome your timidity. Then, when you face some fearful situation, try to keep it in the right perspective. Don’t let fear be your master!

“Lord, help me overcome my timidity. In your name, I command any spirit of fear to go to the foot of the cross where you died, so that I will not be controlled by it. Jesus, fill me with your spirit of power and love and self-control (2 Timothy 1:7).”

taken from wau.org.